1. Field
The present invention relates generally to a serial encoder for high data rate serial communication links. More particularly, the invention relates to a double data rate serial encoder for Mobile Display Digital Interface (MDDI) links.
2. Background
In the field of interconnect technologies, demand for ever increasing data rates, especially as related to video presentations, continues to grow.
The Mobile Display Digital Interface (MDDI) is a cost-effective, low power consumption, transfer mechanism that enables very-high-speed data transfer over a short-range communication link between a host and a client. MDDI requires a minimum of just four wires plus power for bidirectional data transfer that delivers a maximum bandwidth of up to 3.2 Gbits per second.
In one application, MDDI increases reliability and decreases power consumption in clamshell phones by significantly reducing the number of wires that run across a handset's hinge to interconnect the digital baseband controller with an LCD display and/or a camera. This reduction of wires also allows handset manufacturers to lower development costs by simplifying clamshell or sliding handset designs.
MDDI is a serial transfer protocol, and, as such, data received in parallel for transmission over an MDDI link needs to be serialized. What is needed therefore is a serial encoder, integrable in an MDDI link controller, that supports the high-speed data rate of MDDI.